The Icy Winds ON HAITUS
by Kagomechan56
Summary: What would have happened if Sesshoumaru had kidnapped Kagome and Tessaiga from his fathers tomb rather than left her there with Inuyasha? Sesshoumaru/Kagome. Rating only for my peace of mind
1. Chapter 1

The icy wind blew the last of the autumn leaves down the deserted road

The icy wind blew the last of the autumn leaves down the deserted road. It was pitch black, save for one streetlamp that was slowly dieing out. The rest had blown long ago and no one had bothered to replace them. The full moon was hidden behind a blanket of dark menacing cloud. The abandoned warehouses that lined the street all had broken windows and were covered in graffiti. From one of these a dark figure emerged. It slowly crept out from its hiding place and darted silently up the street. As the figure neared the lone lit lamppost, its face could be seen from under its hat, a mask of light and shadow. She was a young woman, barely sixteen, with long wavy dark hair and haunted blue eyes. Her usually smiling face was etched with worry and her eyes spoke of panic. She kept glancing over her shoulder and her eyes darted at every movement.

Suddenly the light flickered and died.

Darkness.

It enveloped her like a blanket. She shot forward, taking no care for silence, just desperate to get away. She heard a rustle of silk behind her. She dared not look back, kept running even though she knew it was useless. A clawed hand wrapped itself like a snake around her small body as its twin smothered her scream.

"Did you really think you could escape me?" a velvety voice whispered in her ear. The moon slid silently from behind its shroud to illuminate a single, pearly white, fang peeking from her captor's mouth. She began to struggle violently. He tightened his grip on her, drawing five drops of blood from her side.

"You will never escape me!" He growled, removing the hand from her waist.

"Goodnight little one." He whispered, almost tenderly, as he squeezed a certain nerve in her neck. She stiffened then went limp. He picked her up, clutching her to his silk clad chest then melted back into the shadows as quickly as he had come. He left no sign that they had ever been there, except for one long silver hair.

A/N

I know this has little to do with the summary but be patient. I will get there. This is my first fanfic so be nice. I welcome constructive criticism though!


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome's heart started to thunder at the deadly look this new youkai was giving her

Kagome's heart started to thunder at the deadly look this new youkai was giving her. She shrank away from him clutching the sword to her chest. She was so confused. Not much had happened in the 15 years of her life and yet in less than 15 days her life had been turned completely upside-down. She had been shot at, clawed at, released a deadly hanyou from a sacred tree, had a jewel ripped out of her side, shattered said jewel and embarked on a perilous quest with the irate hanyou. Frankly, considering that this was all way out of her comfort zone, she thought that she had handled that well. This, on the other hand, was way out of her league and she thought she was entitled to freak a little.

It wasn't everyday that she was faced with a twenty foot dog inside the same dog's father's bones. And it wasn't everyday that the twenty foot dog was seeing red (literally) because she had managed to free the one item in the world he had hell bent on possessing.

She glanced up to see Inuyasha make yet another ineffectual swipe at his brother. Sesshoumaru didn't even notice. He simply dodged from reflex, his eyes never leaving Kagome. His huge head lowered itself until Kagome could see his eye glistening like a ruby right next to her face. Inuyasha yelled at her to run but she was paralyzed with fear. The great dog opened its huge mouth.

'Oh Kami!' she thought, 'this is the end."

She closed her eyes tight and waited for death to come.

She could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck. She felt a pull on the sword and tried to pull it closer. She needn't have bothered. A second later a howl of outraged pain and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. She opened her eyes. Sesshoumaru had obviously been burnt by the sword and was circling her, murder in his eyes.

Suddenly he darted forward, grabbed her by the back of her sailor fukuu and leaped into the air. As the ground rushed away from her, Inuyasha with it, she finally lost her battle with consciousness and surrendered to the darkness.

A/N

Hope this is making more sense! If you don't get anything so far please ask me as I sometimes assume people can hear my mind waves and don't write it down so sorry in advance!


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome groaned as she came to. She could feel warm silk under her and a fluffy pillow beneath her head. She smiled, eyes still closed, as she realized that she was back home in bed. The nightmare was over. She was glad but she was going to miss that Inuyasha guy. He was kinda sweet if you overlooked his rude manners. She was ready to drop back off to sleep when a thought hit her. She stiffened: Silk sheets? Since when had she owned silk sheets? Then it dawned on her still fuzzy mind that she wasn't at home. So where was she?

Fearing the worst Kagome gingerly opened her eyes. She was in a huge bedroom. Whoever had decorated had really been into red and black. The carpet was a deep blood red, as were the curtains and bed canopy. The walls, bed linen and furniture were all black. The four poster bed she was lying on was obviously Western and looked English. The huge wardrobe dominating one wall was a huge menacing shadow in the twilight pouring in through the enormous windows. A black dressing table was situated in a corner complete with a hair rush and some ornate hair pins. This was obviously a woman's room but whose? The whole room had a cold aura about it that made her want to escape. Deep pain was ingrained inside these walls.

Kagome shivered and pulled the bed sheets up to her chin.

A knock on the door made her jump. She eased her way out of bed, only then noticing that someone had changed her out of her school uniform and into a floor length cotton nightgown. Luckily whoever had changed her hadn't touched her underwear but it felt strange to think that someone had undressed her when she was unconscious.

Mustering up her courage, she cautiously opened the door and peered out.

(A.N. If I was really mean I would stop here but I will continue! By the way keep in mind that Kagome hasn't met Shippou, Sango, Kilala, Miroku or Kouga yet. Naraku hasn't risen up yet and Kikyou hasn't been resurrected.)

A tiny cat was standing in the doorway. It held in its mouth a basket from which the scent of fresh flowers and rice was wafting. The cat's twin tails swished eagerly behind her.

Kagome took a tentative step forward towards the adorable cat. She carefully reached out her hand to touch it when…..

"Kilala! Get back here!" a feminine voice yelled from the corridor. Kagome pulled her hand away and shrank back into the doorway. A young woman, no older than 17, ran up the corridor towards them.

"Oh you're awake!" the girl exclaimed, skidding to a halt next to the kitten. "I wasn't sure if you would be because none of us were sure what that brute did to you. I brought you some food if you're hungry. My names Sango by the way and this is Kilala. What's your name?"

Kagome blinked. How could someone say all that without needing air? She shook her head to clear it and tried to get her head round what was happening to her despite her spinning head.

"My names Kagome." She said at last.

"Hi Kagome!" Sango said with a grin.

Sango handed over the basket and called the cat to her. The cat was engulfed in a storm of flame. Kagome gasped and started searching for water but Sango looked unfazed. Then, as quickly as they had sprung up, the flames died. Where the tiny kitten had been a horse sized cat now stood, tusk sized fangs protruding from its mouth. Kagome screamed and fled into her room, closing the door behind her with a snap. She lay back against the door trying to calm her erratic breathing. What on earth…?

A few moments later she heard tentative knocks from the other side of the door. She reached for the handle, took a deep breath and slid open the door.

On the other side a sheepish looking Sango stood. The cat next to her was once more a kitten.

"Sorry about that." Sango said, "I always forget that people aren't used to her transformations. She has been with me ever since I was a baby so its second nature to me."

Kagome wasn't sure how to reply to that.

"Errrrm……….would you like to come in?" In the end the good manners her mother had always enforced on her had kicked in when her brain had stopped working.

"Sure." Sago said sliding past Kagome into the room.

"Whoa!" Sango said with a shiver, "this room is spooky in the dark. That aura is nasty!"

"Do you feel it too?" Kagome asked, surprised.

"Yeah I've always been able to sense them. Are you sure you will be alright in here tonight?"

"I'd rather move if it's not too much trouble." Kagome said thankfully. She wasn't really comfortable being alone at night in such an evil feeling room.

"Sure you can crash with me if you want."

"Thanks. Errrrm……I don't mean to be rude but how did I get here?" Kagome asked.

"Oh I'm sorry! I didn't think about that Kagome-san. Well basically we're here to launch an attack on a group of bear youkai near here."

"Why?"

"Of course, you don't know!"

Feeling very stupid Kagome shook her head.

"I live in a village of demon slayers. We get hired out to help with youkai problems. We were employed by a local village to get rid of a group of bear youkai. We found this place abandoned when we were looking for a place to camp. It looks really expensive and has the royal coat of arms on the door but it hasn't been used for at least a decade. We figured we wouldn't be here long and we wouldn't make a mess so it was ok. This seems to be the only room that wasn't thick with dust but the aura is just as old as the rest of the house. It's creepy.

Anyway we set out this morning to find a trace of those bears. Instead we found you."

Flashback

A distant speck on the horizon slowly became clearer. In a matter of minutes it was close enough to make a human figure. Moments later Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands came skidding in to land in a clearing, an unconscious human girl draped over his shoulder. He tossed her to the ground and stooped over her still form. She was still clutching the sword for dear life. He reached for the sword again but this time it didn't even wait for him to touch it, simply put a barrier around it and the girl. Sesshoumaru, angry now, growled at her and tried to dissolve the barrier with his poison.

This was how a group of demon slayers found them. Ready to fight bears, they had their scents smothered with normal forest smells, so Sesshoumaru didn't sense them immediately.

Sango was outraged at what she interpreted as a demon trying to attack an innocent human girl. Before any of her companions could stop her she threw a complicated mixture of herbs to distract Sesshoumaru and ran towards Kagome. The herbs she had thrown stopped Sesshoumaru's nose working any better than a humans and without his main sense he was disorientated. When Sango reached the barrier she was pleased to realize that it fell just at her touch. She scooped Kagome's limp body into her arms and made a dash for it. She knew that Sesshoumaru wouldn't be confused for long. Using Kilala she made a break for it, her fellow demon slayers in tow.

End Flashback

"So then I brought you here. I have asked a traveling priest to erect a barrier around the house so that brute can't get to you."

Kagome looked at Sango, slightly shaken by her new friend's tale. They were sitting in the room Sango had claimed as her own for her stay. She cradled the cup of hot tea in her hands and asked the question that had been bugging her since she had woken.

"Sango where is the sword?" she said almost afraid of the answer.

Sango looked guilty

"Errrrm well the thing is Kagome……."

A.N. Yes I know the herb thing is a bit weird but I'm using creative licence. Anyway please R&R!

For those people who seem confused, Chapter 1 was in Kagome's future. She hasn't got there yet. And my story follows the anime up until the fight with Sesshoumaru so I didn't bother to write that in.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry I haven't updated in a while! My internet died so this was just sitting on my computer and I forgot about it. Sorry! The next chapter might take awile. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to write...

"Errrrm well the thing is Kagome……."

"Sango?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it was important. I just grabbed you and ran. That demon probably has it now."

Sango looked so apologetic that Kagome couldn't be mad at her.

"It's ok Sango. After all you _did_ save my life. It's just a sword. The only thing is that Sesshoumaru wanted it badly and from what I've seen of him I think that can only be bad news. I need to get it back-"

"No Kagome, _we_ need to get it back," Sango interjected, "It's mostly my fault you have to risk your life for this. Just tell me what were doing and I will help as much as I can. We can supply you with weapons and provisions and things. I can accompany you to get the sword back! This is much more exciting than silly old bears!"

Sango turned around and stared rummaging through her stuff to find anything she thought they might need. Kagome was sure Sango was far more excited about the prospect of fighting than anyone had any right to be. She was still having problems even shooting her bow in a straight line! Embarrassing as it was, especially as Sango seemed to think she was a good fighter, she was going to have to ask for some training.

"Ahem…..Sango?"

Sango turned from the mess she had created on the floor and looked up.

"What's wrong?"

"Errrrm Sango…………. I can't fight very well. I'm gonna need some training before we take Sesshoumaru on. Sorry, I know you're raring to go."

"Oh…. Well I figured we would need time to train before we went. It will just take a bit longer. In fact we could try and postpone the bear extermination and make it into a test for you to see if you are ready to face Sesshoumaru. This will be so great. It gives me a chance to make sure all my training methods are good."

Kagome agreed and they went to the kitchen for some food. After they had eaten, Kagome and Sango settled down to sleep. Sango was asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow but Kagome tossed and turned. Despite her physical fatigue, her mind was as active as always. The moonlight crept over Sango's sleeping form on the bed and to most of the room. Kagome sat in the one dark corner and looked out of the window into the night sky. The moonlight was so bright that she could see everything as clear as day. With a sigh Kagome lay down and tried once again to settle her spinning mind into sleep. There was nothing she could do now. She could only wait, learn everything Sango taught her and pray for a miracle.

After the girls had washed and dressed the next morning they went to the huge dojo that formed the whole of the East wing of the mansion. In the light of day the building looked much less menacing but just as big and expensive. The halls were lined with paintings of giant Inu-Youkai. She hadn't been surprised to see a picture that was the spitting image of Sesshoumaru. Apparently that beast she had faced yesterday was Lord of the Western Lands so his family probably owned the house. It made her feel uneasy until she remembered the holy barrier that some traveling monk called Miroku had erected. Neither of the girls had met him yet but he was having lunch with them after their training.

When Kagome followed Sango into the dojo she was stunned openmouthed by the sheer size of the place.

"Yeah." Sango said when she saw Kagome's expression "That's how I felt when I walked in the first time. Now we haven't got much time so let's start with what you do know. Have you ever held a weapon?"

"I can almost shoot a bow but I've only been learning for a week. I still can't really aim or get much power behind the arrows." Kagome said, feeling a bit of a failure. In her time she wouldn't be expected to wield any kind of weapon but in the feudal era she would have learnt some kind of combat from an early age. Sango had obviously been brought up in the way of a warrior. Kagome knew that her weapon of choice was a huge boomerang, having seen it in Sango's room, but she was probably proficient in most forms of combat. It made Kagome's natural tendency to worry kick in. What if Sango couldn't teach her? What if there wasn't time? What if it was already too late for her to learn to defend herself?

As Kagome's mind churned out possibility after possibility, Sango was setting up an archery target. She set it up a hundred yards from Kagome and gave Kagome a quiver and bow.

"Now, Kagome, I just want to see your stance with a bow. Pull back but don't release." Sango said, moving to get a better view of Kagome's arms.

Kagome fumbled with the still unfamiliar movements and eventually pulled the bowstring back. Sango walked around her slowly and Kagome felt sweat trickle down her forehead from overtaxing weak muscles. Eventually Kagome couldn't hold on any longer and let the arrow fly. It missed the target completely, falling to the ground harmlessly but fizzing with pure energy.

"Wow." Sango said simply, watching the glowing trail the holy power had left in the air. She turned back to Kagome and said "well I didn't know you could do that!"

Kagome blushed in happy embarrassment at Sango's approving tone. Her pleasure was short lived though.

"It's no wonder you missed though!" Sango said, reprovingly. "Pull the bow back again"

As Kagome retook her stance, Sango started to list the things she was doing wrong.

"Your right elbow is too high." Sango said, putting a gentle pressure on the offending limb to correct it.

"You hold the arrow rather than the string as well," Sango continued, unwrapping Kagome's stiff fingers from their hold on the wood. "It will send your aim right off….. Now try."

Sango stepped back and Kagome finally let the arrow fly. It hit the outer rim of the target and sent it up in flames.

Kagome was mortified but Sango seemed unperturbed.

"Much better." She said a wide grin on her face.

Kagome flushed again and tried to concentrate on her aim. It was hard to keep all the things she needed to remember in her head but by lunchtime she was creeping closer to the centre of the target. Sango seemed pleased with her progress but Kagome couldn't help but be worried about her lack of skill. She still hadn't found a way to control when her arrows would be infused with holy powers and so every now and then she would incinerate a target. It was frustrating.

By the time they had reached the huge banquet hall it was full of Sango's family and friends. Most of them were eating and laughing but a few looked bored. Kagome couldn't help but feel guilty for that. It was her fault that their mission was being postponed until she could fight. If it wasn't for her then they could have been at home by now.

_A.N. That's why Sango's brother and father won't die; because Kagome was there they never got sent to Naraku's castle and so never got massacred. Clever me! I found the scenes with a zombie Kohaku the hardest in the anime because I have a younger brother about the same age. It really upset me. So I made sure MY Sango never had to feel that pain. _

She avoided everyone's eyes and sat down at one of the 3 long tables. Each was large enough to seat about 50 people. It felt huge with only 20 at most people seated. Even though she had been at the mansion for a day she still caught her breath every time she entered a room. Everything was so much bigger, grander and more elegant than anything she had ever seen. Despite that, she still felt cold every now and then. It was like an evil aura still hung in the air. Kagome shuddered and tried to concentrate on what Sango was saying.

"Kagome this is my little brother, Kohaku. Kohaku, this is Kagome. I'm training her."

Kagome looked up to see a boy about Souta's age. He was wearing slayers clothes like everyone else in the room and looked just like Sango. It made her homesick. He smiled at her and took a seat across the table from them. They were served their food and Sango and Kohaku started bickering about sword fighting methods. Kagome listened intently in silence. Sango had said it was sword fighting after lunch and she was eager to pick up any tips she could.

Just before they had finished a young man came to sit at the table with them. He wore a set of dark purple robes and held a staff. His black hair was pulled into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had a charming smile and Sango blushed when she saw him.

"Hello ladies. My name is Miroku; I'm the monk securing the mansion. Is it ok if I join you?" He said in a smooth voice.

"Errrrm, yes that's fine." Sango said quietly, not looking at him "We were just leaving though"

He nodded sagely at her words and sat next to Kohaku. Soon they were so involved in a conversation about Miroku's holy powers that they barely noticed when the girls left.

Sango grabbed Kagome's hand and practically dragged her from the Great Hall. She was blushing furiously as she walked. When they got back to the dojo Sango finally spoke.

"He was really nice wasn't he Kagome?" she said, not meeting Kagome's eyes.

It felt strange having a girly chat about how fit boys were in the Feudal Era but Kagome relished the hint of normalcy.

She smiled and said "Yes he was Sango. Did you like him?"

Sango blushed a deep cherry red and answered quickly "Of course I liked him. Everyone liked him"

Kagome couldn't help but laugh at the uncomfortable look on her friends face. Sango gave her a sheepish look and then looked mock angry. It only made Kagome laugh harder.

"Every one liked him but you _liked_ him." Kagome said once she could speak.

"Keh" Sango said. It made Kagome's smile fade.

"Can we get on with the training?" Kagome said coldly.

"What's wrong?" Sango said, all humor leaving her voice, replaced by concern. It wasn't like Kagome to be so standoffish.

Kagome immediately looked contrite. "I'm sorry. Its just you sound so much like Inuyasha. Even if he is a jerk I miss him."

"Who's Inuyasha?"

"Oh, this Inu hanyou I was traveling with. We had to collect ………_The Shikon shards_! Oh kami! I can't believe I forgot them! I need to find them! If they fall into the wrong hands then we could have another Yura or worse!"

While Kagome was panicking, Sango just looked at her with a strange expression on her face.

"Kagome" she said softly "are you the Shikon Miko?"

Kagome stopped flapping and just stared at Sango. "Didn't I tell you? I'm the reason it shattered!"

Sango's face suddenly went dead pan. "We have to get the shards back. The Shikon no Tama originated in my village. I know what it can do to a demon. I have a few shards that we have reclaimed from rogue demons but you can bet others are collecting them. The sword will have to wait. Those shards are deadly in the wrong hands."

"I know that," Kagome said softly "but what could Sesshoumaru do with that sword? Sango, how am I supposed to decide what is more important. They are both my fault!"

Sango looked thoughtful.

"Lord Sesshoumaru is a powerful demon isn't he?"

Kagome nodded, not exactly sure where the conversation was going.

"And all demons want more power don't they?" Sango continued. "So, if we collect jewel shards for a while _then _track Sesshoumaru down, he's bound to have colleted a few shards of his own. This way we kill two birds with one stone! Get me?"

Kagome nodded again, although a frown was beginning to mar her smooth brow. She couldn't help but think Sango may have missed something here. Sesshoumaru was already a powerful demon. With jewel shards to boost his strength then he might be impossible to take down.

"Sango….. Don't you think it's a bit silly to give Sesshoumaru a chance to become stronger?" Kagome asked hesitantly. She didn't want to contradict her new friend but it would nag at her.

"Wha…? Hmmm you have a point but I'm sure that we can take him." Sango said with a confident smile.

Kagome tried to return the smile but it wavered. _She_ wasn't confident at all. Thankfully Sango never saw her hesitation because she was already on her way towards the sword rack on the other side of the dojo. She picked up a selection of three beautifully crafted swords about the same size. She brought them over to Kagome and lay them down on the floor. Each was made of a shimmering silver metal. Kagome might have thought it was plain steel except for the glitter of power she could see and feel around them; these were something else. They all had jewels inlaid into the hilt and one even had a pattern etched into the blade. Sango handed her the largest. It was much heavier than it looked. Kagome sagged under the weight.

"The first thing we need to do is build up your muscles. Archery and swordsmanship both require more upper body strength than women can get without hard training so you will have to work twice as hard as a boy. I know first hand how hard this is going to be and we only have a month at most. What you have there is a form of training sword. It is slightly heavier than the real thing to build your muscles. If you can be accurate with a practice sword then a normal sword will be easy. Now lesson number 1. Hold the sword at arms length away from your side... that's it. Can you feel the strain?"

"Ye…..yes" Kagome panted. It was hard for her to even keep it straight.

_A/N I have experienced this first hand. Those things are heavy! I managed to hold a practice sword for a teenage boy up for about a minute and I have some upper body strength already because I ride but bare in mind I am quite short. The middle ages squires had to be able to stand there with a sword held out straight for hours on end!_

"Now stand like that for an hour. Could you do it?" Sango said taking in Kagome's breathless no "well by the end of your training you will be able to stand there for 3 hours and not drop it. You can put it down now."

Kagome gratefully dropped the sword that had been drooping already. Her arm ached as she massaged it to get some feeling back.

"Now for your basic stance…"

The lesson dragged on for hours until the last glimmer of light disappeared under the dojo windows. Kagome was exhausted. Her brain felt sore from the amount of information Sango had given her but it was nothing on her body. She hadn't realized just how many muscles were involved in kendo, some of which she hadn't known she had. Too tired to eat, Kagome followed Sango back to her room.

"I would recommend a bath before you go to sleep." Sango said kindly as she got changed before dinner. "Otherwise you will ache more than you do now."

Kagome doubted it was possible for her body to hurt more than it did right now. Shaking her head she said "I'm too tired Sango. I will have a bath tomorrow before breakfast but right now I just want sleep."

Kagome had changed stiffly into her borrowed nightclothes and was under the quilts before Sango had finished changing. As she left the room Sango turned back to her and said

"I know I drove you hard today but it was necessary. I am serious about that bath though. Take it from someone who knows Kagome." All she got in reply was a grunt muffled by the pillow. "Ok then but you can't say I didn't tell you."

Sango left the room and shut the door silently behind her. Kagome was asleep by the time the catch slid home.


End file.
